—Patterns & more from the author of the book

Glossary

band clamp Wooden clamp with metal hooks, used when weaving with a band heddle. It holds the partially-woven band so the work can be hooked to the weaving belt.

band heddle Small hole-and-slot heddle or rigid heddle made for bandweaving, used in a backstrap arrangement with the warp tensioned between the weaver’s body and a fixed point a short distance away. It is a means of raising and lowering alternate warp ends to create sheds for the weft to pass through.

beat (verb) To pack the previous row of weft firmly in place after the shed is changed.

down-shed Shed made when the band heddle is lowered and the warp ends in the slots slide to the top.

end A single warp thread.

fell The line just above the last row of weft where beating takes place.

float The warp skip that occurs on the right side of the band when a pattern end is picked up from the lower level of the shed, thereby floating over the weft instead of under it on that row, or on the reverse side of the band, when a pattern end is pushed down from the upper level of the shed, thereby floating under the weft instead of over it on that row.

loom Means of holding the warp under tension so that weaving can take place, with a shedding system to raise and lower alternate warp ends to create sheds for the weft to pass through. With the band heddle, the weaver’s body and a fixed point such as a doorknob become part of the loom and serve to hold the warp under tension. The band heddle is the means for making the sheds.

motif Figure or shape, such as a diamond or rosette, made up of floats in a pick-up pattern.

pattern The design produced in a band, by picking up and sometimes pushing down certain pattern ends. Sometimes a pattern is made up of motifs and the background effects between motifs, and sometimes it appears more as an all-over design.

pattern chart Graph depicting the pattern in a pick-up band.

pattern ends Ends in pattern color.

pattern heddle Special kind of band heddle, made specifically for weaving a certain kind of pick-up weave, with special short slots for the pattern ends.

pick up (verb) To lift certain pattern ends from the lower level of the shed so that they weave with the upper level on that row.

pick-up bandweaving Type of bandweaving in which patterns are formed by picking up and sometimes pushing down certain pattern ends before the weft is passed through the shed.

push down (verb) To drop certain pattern ends from the upper level of the shed so that they weave with the lower level on that row.

shed Space created by raising and lowering certain warp ends. The weft passes through the shed in order to interlace with the warp. With the band heddle, the warp is threaded through the holes and slots and the sheds are made by raising and lowering the heddle.

shuttle Wooden tool for carrying the weft through the shed and beating it into place.

up-shed Shed made when the band heddle is raised and the warp ends in the slots slide to the bottom.

warp Lengthwise threads in a woven piece that interlace at right angles with the crosswise weft.

warp draft Notation showing the number of warp ends and the order of colors in the warp.

warp-faced plain weave Weave that is the foundation for pick-up bandweaving. The weft interlaces with the warp in a plain weave structure (going over the odd-numbered warp ends and under the even-numbered warp ends on one shed, and doing the opposite on the next shed). The warp ends are spaced closely together, so the weft only shows at the selvedges where it turns to go into the next shed.

warping The process of preparing the warp and threading the band heddle so that weaving can take place.

weaving belt A belt that is worn around the weaver’s body and hooks to the band clamp in front. It is part of the system for holding the warp under tension when weaving with a band heddle.

weft Crosswise threads in a woven piece that interlace at right angles with the lengthwise warp.